A 19-YEAR-OLD college student was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, after he was caught by cops trying to blackmail his brother’s ex-girlfriend into having sex with him by threatening to post her naked photos on social media.
Operatives of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit-Central Visayas (Racu 7) identified the suspect as Dexter Antonio, 19, a criminology student living in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.
Police were able to gather evidence against Antonio, including screenshots of his conversation with Analyn (not her real name), the victim.
Police Col. Marlo Castillo of Racu 7 said Antonio reportedly used a fake Facebook (FB) account and posed as a foreign national trying to court Analyn online.
Castillo said the two started exchanging messages through FB on Sinulog Day, Jan. 19.
In the course of their conversation, Antonio, using the fake account, asked Analyn to send him photos of her naked self. The victim obliged.
Their conversation continued until the next day, Jan. 20, when Antonio again asked Analyn to send him more naked photos.
Antonio even asked Analyn to have a video conversation with him while she was naked, but the victim declined.
Analyn decided to discontinue the chat with the holder of the fake account after Antonio accidentally chatted with her in Cebuano.
After Analyn stopped replying to Antonio’s messages, the suspect decided to threaten to post her naked photos online if she refused to have sex with him.
Analyn then decided to seek the Racu 7’s help.
After securing Analyn’s FB account, Racu 7 operatives decided to use the victim’s social media account to chat with Antonio in order to bring him out in the open.
After seeing that Analyn was talking to him again, Antonio arranged for them to meet in a lodging house in Cebu City to have sex at Tuesday dawn, Jan. 21.
Unknown to Antonio, Racu 7 operatives were waiting to arrest him in an entrapment operation.
Police immediately arrested Antonio after he and Analyn met at the lodging house and were about to enter their rented room.
Recovered from Antonio were condoms that he had planned to use during his anticipated time with the victim.
But Antonio, in a separate interview, denied the allegations against him, saying he was only accompanying Analyn to rent a room for a common friend of theirs.
He also denied blackmailing Analyn through social media, saying that he was willing to answer those allegations in court.
Antonio will face charges for grave threats in relation to Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012; and violation of Republic Act 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act. (AYB, BBT / JKV)